Museum of Texas Tech to Host Director of National Museum of Afghanistan

Fahim Rahimi will deliver a lecture about the museum’s efforts and challenges in protecting
Afghanistan’s heritage.

Fahim Rahimi

The Museum of Texas Tech University will host a lecture by Fahim Rahimi, director of the National Museum of Afghanistan, at 6 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 14) in the Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium. Rahimi, who
specializes in cultural heritage management and preservation, will deliver the lecture,
“Fighting for the Nation’s Cultural Heritage: Efforts and Challenges of the National
Museum of Afghanistan.”

“This is a rare and valuable public lecture,” said Hyojung Cho, associate professor
of heritage management at the Museum of Texas Tech. “It hopefully will serve as a
foundation to build a collaborative relationship between the two museums for their
professional capacity building and exhibition development and an opportunity for Texas
Tech to contribute to the collective efforts for safeguarding world heritage.”

Organized theft and destruction of cultural heritage is more severe than ever, Cho
said. Heritage is closely linked with the past, present and future of a community
or nation, and safeguarding that heritage promotes a country’s identity, supports
diversity and fights crimes and terrorism, she added.

“Museums protect and promote heritage, the treasure of mankind,” Cho said. “The National
Museum of Afghanistan has conserved important cultural property of Central Asia, fought
illicit trafficking of cultural property and regained valuable artifacts by international
collaborations.”

Cho said the lecture will focus on the powerful case of protecting world heritage
and the remaining challenges, which demand awareness and actions by more than just
museums and governments.

“The lecture is not just for museum professionals or academic scholars,” she said.
“I hope to raise awareness of these issues in the Lubbock community. After all, why
do we read world news? It’s all our issues, closer than we think.”

Before being appointed as director in January, Rahimi served as curator and then chief
curator and was responsible for one of the most significant collections of ancient
and Islamic art in Central Asia. He organized a number of important exhibitions, including,
“Mes Aynak: New Discoveries along the Silk Road,” “Buddhist Heritage of Afghanistan”
and “1000 Cities of Bactria.” In addition, he played a major role in organizing the
international traveling exhibition “Hidden Treasures of Afghanistan.”

Rahimi holds a bachelor’s degree in archaeology and anthropology from Kabul University
and studied heritage preservation and curatorial studies at Vienna University and
at the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural
Property in Rome. He was a Fulbright Scholar, and is pursuing a master’s degree in
anthropology and heritage preservation at the University of Pennsylvania.

The lecture is free and open to the public, and a reception with light food and drink
will follow. Welcome remarks will be given by Texas Tech President Dr. Lawrence Schovanec
and Gary Morgan, executive director of the Museum of Texas Tech. The lecture is partially
funded by the International Cultural Center.

For more information about the National Museum of Afghanistan, visit its website.

For more information about the Museum of Texas Tech University, visit the website.

It consists of the main Museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science
Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark,
and the Val Verde County research site.

The museum also offers masters degrees in Museum Science and Heritage Management and
a wide variety of educational programs for the general public.